Fraternity-Testvériség, 1995 (73. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)
1995-10-01 / 4. szám
FRATERNITY Page 23 MEMORIAM continued retirement in 1991. They also taught Hungarian Vacation Bible School as volunteers, at the Bethlen Home, Ligonier, Pa., from the following year of the 1956 Freedom Fight till the closing of the orphanage in 1977. Their ministry was a joint ministry. They served the Lord and our Hungarian brethren faithfully as a team. Elza was a loving, caring wife, nurturing and protective mother and grandmother and a committed and faithful servant of our Lord, thus the “crown of life” is set aside for her in the Kingdom. The texts of The Rt. Rev. Zoltán D. Szucs, Pastor of The Hungarian Reformed Church of Lorain, Ohio, were Psalm 116:15, Job 19:25-27, Luke 24:1-5, Revelations 7:14-17 and II Timothy 4:7-8. He had testified that Elza did not disappear, but moved to her permanent address to the Main Street of Heaven. She knew together with Job that her Redeemer is alive, and through Him she also will be alive in the Kingdom. So we should not look for the living among the dead. She did come out of a great tribulation, washed her robe in the blood of the Lamb, fought the good fight, finished the race and received her crown of righteousness from the Lord. He related to us the story of his first meeting with Elza, after six hours of tiresome drive, in the parsonage at Homestead. The house was full of visiting clergy and yet Elza had time enough to feed him and to minister to all. The words of our Lord, Jesus the Christ to those standing at His right hand, about feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, visiting the prisoners, administering to the sick were Elza’s way of life. She always was available to help everyone in need. She was in great tribulation, yet she had the strength and flow of faith, being cheerful and uplifting to those around her. She was one of those servants of God, with whom it was a pleasure and a joyful experience to be with. By quoting the poem of Helen Steiner Rice, “Death Opens the Door to Life Evermorehe welcomed all to the graduation party of Elza Kovács, who graduated this earthly life at the head of the class, summa cum laude. He prompted all of us to give thanks to our Loving Lord for all the noble, loving, caring, ministering, uplifting, encouraging and genuine integrity for all that He shared with us on earth through His daughter Elza. He assured us, that with the words of Jack London she did not rust away, but burned away in service and commitment. On the basis of scriptural promises, he emphasized, that we all will meet again in God’s Kingdom and we do well to be thankful for Elza’s love of life and life of love. We are the stockholders of this hope and promise from our Lord. He also emphasized that it does not stop the pain of separation, but it gives us hope. Elza, our sister is with the Lord. We may cry, if we must, because of the pain, but not for Elza, but for our own selves, who became poorer, because she is not with us on earth any longer. And for this reason our lives lost a great deal of sunshine, joy, color and zest. Yet with grateful hearts we praise God for His goodness and for all he shared with us through this loving daughter of His, our sister Elza on earth, who just went ahead to help to prepare a place for all those whom she loved on earth. Glory be to God in the highest for this new graduate of His, Elza. With pain, hope and thanks, Your Brother in Christ ’s Service, Zoltán D. Szucs The Hungarian Reformed Federation of America was well-represented at the funeral services to express their sympathy to the bereaved Pastor 's family. Present were Secretary Endre Csornán, Directors The Rt. Rev. Zoltán D. Szucs and Rev. Alexander Jalso with spouses. REV. JOSEPH KECSKEMETHY 1906-1995 Rev. Joseph Kecskemethy, former Secretary of the Hungarian Reformed Federation of America died at his home in Ligonier, Pennsylvania, on November 18, 1995 at the age of 89. Joseph Kecskemethy was born in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, on August 11, 1906. He was raised in Miskolc, Hungary, where he attended the Reformed Church Gimnázium. He returned to the United States in 1923 to study at Franklin and Marshall College and at the Reformed Seminary in New Brunswick, New Jersey. In 1929 he returned once again to Hungary and attended the Reformed Seminary in Debrecen. He finished his studies and was ordained in 1932. While serving in Passaic, Rev. Kecskemethy married Elizabeth Korocz, daughter of Geza Korocz, pastor of the Hungarian Reformed Church in Trenton, New Jersey. Their first son, Joseph, was bom in Passaic. In 1937, Rev. Kecskemethy accepted a call to the Hungarian Reformed Church in East Chicago, Indiana, where he served until 1944. The Kecskemethys’ second son, Stephen, was bom in East Chicago. In 1944, Rev. Kecskemethy was elected Superintendent of the Bethlen Home in Ligonier, Pennsylvania. He served as Superintendent/Administrator of the institution until 1957. During this period, the Bethlen Home was comprised of an orphanage, an old people’s home and a 215 acre farm. Rev. Kecskemethy was elected General Secretary of the Hungarian Reformed Federation of America in 1957. He and his family relocated to Washington, D.C. He remained Secretary of the Federation until 1969.
